Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 26th April, 2023)

Sorry none of those buildings appeal to me. They would have done from a 1960s shot. As I've said before, we are losing our identity because lovely building have been demolished.

Only the dome is recognisable.
Wigan is a different world to the Towns great years.

Welcome to Lego-Land.

Yuk

Total mish mash of boxes. All character lost.
Still it may all change again one day, even the ' brutalistic ' style had its day & now consigned to rubble.
Wigan was a place that had some style even if it was Victorian....there is room for 'modern' if its well designed but the Wigan planners have totally lost the plot.

Even the German bombers wouldn’t recognised Wigan these days if they came back! Sorry I don't like the greenhouse on the skyline. The only thing it’s fit for is growing tomato’s and exotic fruit. ( although I did like going in there for the shops!)

In the 60s you wouldn't be able to see that far because of the muck in the air from all those smoking chimneys.

This photo proves that there's just no harmony in these buildings..it's almost like the planners have gone out of their way to destroy the old town, I can almost hear my little Irish Grandma saying to my Grandad.." Be Jabous Tom they've killed the owld Wigan.

Tom its the buildings we're talking about. Not this nonsense climate change and emissions.

Can only think that you're being controversial just for argument's sake. 'Nonsense' climate change?? Unfortunately for the human race, climate change is a very real and frightening reality which is already having a devastating effect in many countries.

There are buildings to be seen in the photo from the 1960s, and 1950s and before, > there's what was Pendlebury's, there's the Royal Arcade corner of Mesnes Street and Standishgate and the roof of what was British Home Stores, and also the roofline of the row of shops along Crompton Street. This view will soon be changed again - but for how long can be anyone's guess.

Tom, your comment on how the air was always full of muck with smoke from coal fires of home and industry was spot on. It affected those buildings by making them black and photographs too with a dark haze, you could never have taken in the 1960s or even the 1970s such a clear photo of the town that Dennis has taken, photos taken throughout those years and earlier were always hazy with smoke, and a close up would have magnified the fug and made the haze even worse.

I agree with Veronica, the greenhouse frase, it looks like the old Springfield Park football stand. Horrible structure.

What is the Dome shape building?

Cyril, totally disagree with you, look at photos from the Wigan Observer from the 1960s and Frank Orrell's, Crystal clear. Granted, the was more fog about but it soon cleared.

What nonsense Cyril. There were many photos on Wigan World taken from the 50s and 60s with top quality images. Many Wigan books published in the 1960s justifiy that, many taken from around the Town. Buy one and see for yourself and Tom might go half's with you.

People keep on about climate change. Well WE are doing something about it. No more steam factory's no more steam engines for the then BR, trains going electric and scrapping diesels , no more or very little coal fired houses, vehicles going electric and so on.
What more do you want. I suppose it gives activists something to do, but they have started causing trouble and violence.

I must say I agree with Tom and Cyril, Wigan and all the towns in the north were dirty towns.
They were so dirty that somebody wrote a song about them, I'll be humming the song for the rest of the day now.

What has climate change got to do with this photo. Wigan was no different than anyother Town in Britain. I'll tell you what, wish I could turn the clock back in Wigan to 1960s.

Well said Ann.

It was Arthur who mentioned climate change, I only mentioned how mucky the place was.

Sylvia do you mean that we'll known ditty, Gruby old bognor Regis?

Tom I only mentioned climate change because YOU said dirty smoking Wigan and muck in the air back in the 1960s. Wish I was back in the 1960s smoke or not.

Sue and the others - no one's been going on about climate change, the only person who mentioned it was Arthur when having a go at Tom with his opinion about muck coming out of chimneys.

Thank God for the Clean Air Acts it got rid of the filth and grime from dirty coal smoke. We don't learn though, all these ever increasing wood burners are beginning to produce just as much, if not more Air Pollution, along with the steep rise in Asthma cases.

July 1956
Public health
The Clean Air Act of 1956 received royal assent in July 1956. The Act was passed with the aim of tackling the smog and air pollution created by the burning of coal and industrial activities. With more regulations brought about in 1968.

You can see that the air in Wigan is a lot cleaner that it was in the 1950s and 1960s, its evident.

Now , now play nicely …what’s a bit of ‘muck’ between friends.

The glass dome structure is part of The Galleries, which is currently under 'destruction' so that and it's supporting structure, will soon be gone.
The old Pendlebury's building is only the outer 'facade' of that building, which became Debenhams, the internal part was demolished when it was converted from Debenhams into Wilko's (Wilkinsons).

Of course Wigan is cleaner than the 1960s so is everywhere else.
The point your missing and what created this argument is you Cyril and Tom about quality of photos being dark haze as though they've been taken in the fog, which is nonsense. The only ones that had poor quality pictures is the person who took them and poor camera equipment. To name one gentleman Frank Orrell has take very many photo from the 1960s and 1970s in and around Wigan with outstanding quality. So I hope this puts an end to you and Tom's nonsense, Cyril.

So Arthur, were the photos that you took from your Baby Brownie hazy?

These photos from Wigan Today retro pages and taken by professional photographers in the '60, 70s and '80 with what then would have been top notch cameras, It hasn't anything to do with camera quality or the person behind the camera, if there is pollution in the atmosphere it will still be seen on the photos.

https://www.wigantoday.net/sttms.blob.core.windows.net/images/QVNIMTEzNjY1OTQ0.jpg?

https://www.wigantoday.net/heritage-and-retro/heritage/retro-vintage-scenes-of-wigan-town-centre-1960s-to-80s-4002104

So Arthur, Look, Read and Digest, and you will see that Tom and I are correct in what we say - we were there after all, and witnessed the smoke laden air, the all day fogs of autumn and the winter smog's.

Garry, I could have given you many photographic books about Wigan and Lancashire too, but they went to Book Cycle.

Some fantastic photos of wigan taken in the 1960s even in the fog.

You've answered your own question their cyril. So how come fog gets blame for dark and haze photographs when professional Photographers got it right with clear photograph in the 1960s. Oh the fog and black haze must have cleared for them. Your on cloud 9 man. Look at your comments at 14.45 you've contradicted yourself. Photos were NOT dark and hazy using good quality cameras.

I think Cyril has started digging a hole:
Box brownie.......
I agree with Arthur, smoke, fog and smoke never made photos bad.
Its the camera or the person taking the pics.
Not the 1960s weather.

Sandra I think the dome is the top of the Queens Hall?

Tell you what I think Sue, that yourself, Malc and Arthur are more than likely the same person, and are a self proclaimed photography and meteorology expert too!

On the contrary Cyril, I've never met or seen Sue and Malc and wouldn't know them if I see them in the street.
By the way, a box brownie wouldn't take good photos in good clear weather. So that rules out fog, smoke and haze weather.

Thank-you Dave Johnson.

Arthur, I never did mention 'Box' Brownie, it was 'Baby' Brownie, by the way both Baby and Box Brownie cameras could produce excellent photographs, that's what made them to be so popular.

"It was a huge talking point and one of the biggest trends of the time. People were desperate to get their hands on the Kodak “Brownie” camera – and more excited to try taking photographs of their own." From here- https://www.photoion.co.uk/blog/encyclopaedia/box-brownie/

Cyril I have never seen these other people your refering to.
Why on earth would ever think that just because I agree with them, it's a matter of opinion on
Photo a Day.
Take care.

Cyril I have the feeling Tom may have been referring to my comment about the German bombers not recognising the area ‘if’ they came back from the 40’s. I didn’t bother answering it because the bombers flew by night and they would certainly have seen through the smoke belching from chimneys. In fact they would have been glad of the smoke because they were aiming for all the factories that were producing everything for the war effort. That’s why as you probably know Munition factories were more or less in the countryside. Not forgetting the train guide book that Mr Portillo uses when travelling around Europe. They also used that guide for their own purposes. They would never have set off from their own bases if smoke and fog stopped them. I may be off track here but I am sure as eggs are eggs someone will have something to say. I still say the Germans wouldn’t recognise that scene ‘if’ they were to fly back in time….